Figuring It Out
by KreadStornham
Summary: Love isn't easy. Usually it's best not to rush, but sometimes a little kick doesn't hurt.


**Chapter 1: Explosive Matchmaking**

Izuku Midoriya was having a good day. He'd managed a light workout, eaten an early breakfast and tested out a new bit of training: Leaping (via Full Cowl) all the way to the roof by using the twin spires of the dorm as walls. It had been interesting to say the least, and productive. By the time everyone emerged for breakfast, he was sporting a few new bandages and scrapes. Nothing they weren't used to seeing on him. A little study group had formed, and he'd gladly joined up. Most of the time he studied alone to hide how out of control his muttering could get, but it was fun to study with people. With his _friends_.

That word still made him smile. Sometimes he rolled it around and just chuckled to himself with a stupid grin on his face. In fact, he'd been doing just that when Uraraka had looked over and poked him.

"What's so funny, Deku?" He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

"Nothing, Uraraka. I'm just having a good day is all." Uraraka smiled wide and cocked her head to the side, nearly glowing with happiness.

"Good! I'm glad Deku!" Izuku wasn't really sure how she seemed to **glow** with empathy or happiness, but she managed it. Everyone in the class knew how supportive and kind Uraraka could be, despite her tendency to be on the sidelines in their little group escapades.

Gradually the study group dispersed. Soon Izuku and Uraraka were the only ones left, mostly just chatting over cups of tea and enjoying each other's company.

Around three o clock, hurricane Bakugo struck.

"K-k-k-Kacchan…?!" Izuku yelped as Bakugo picked him up. His mind locked up, blurring with the possibilities, as he struggled weakly against his rival's grip. Bakugo snarled the entire way, shifting around and stopping occasionally to hoist his charge back into his grip. Izuku flinched as Bakugo kicked a door open.

"Just figure it the fuck out!" Bakugo shouted, hurling Izuku into the room two seconds later. Izuku yelped, landing on the floor in a heap. Izuku flinched again as the door slammed shut, then noticed he was on top of someone.

"Uraraka…?" Izuku muttered. Uraraka stirred, holding a hand against her head as she recovered from being tossed inside.

"De…ku…?" Izuku began pushing himself off of her, only to come face to face with her half a second later. Their noses brushed against one another as they both sat up, causing them to pause. Faces reddened quickly, and the moment passed as Izuku scrambled backwards and Uraraka hid her face in her knees.

"I'm sorry Uraraka! I'm really sorry!" Izuku had to mentally stop himself from hyperventilating. Alien thoughts, all complimenting Uraraka, ran through his mind threatening to scald his face with the degree of blushing he'd attained. Uraraka hid, muttering something beneath her breath.

They stayed that way for a while: Uraraka muttering under her breath, Izuku overheating from his wayward imagination and worrying that, somehow, Bakugo had managed to ruin his life _again_.

Katsuki was restless. Over the last week, he'd been working hard hours to try and figure out a new explosive technique. Cementoss had been helping him in TDL, but it was only on days when the pro wasn't required to go off on patrol. Studying didn't ease the energy that Katsuki had built up. When Saturday rolled around and TDL was closed (for the third time that week), he knew it would be another long day. Other than some light morning work outs, boredom was the only thing waiting for him. Studying didn't help. Eating was fine, but he knew when to quit. Deep in his gut something kept winding up, building like a compressed explosion.

He sat with Weird-hair, Tape-boy and Taser-face for a late lunch, watching the study group across his meal and stirring his food around idly. Nothing caught his attention until Taser-face leaned across the table and began whispering.

"Kirishima, you've got a bet going on Midoriya, right?" Katsuki perked up.

"Yeah. You'd have to be dumb not to see it." Weird-hair chuckled. Katsuki followed their glance over to where Deku and Round-face were sitting talking. The two seemed to be sharing one of those 'moments' that made Katsuki want to punch the annoying little shits in the head. "Somehow those two just keep going though. I'm starting to get worried I'll lose my money on this one."

Taser-face snickered.

"I swear, those two are almost as bad as you Tooru and Ojiro." Katsuki glared at both of them and began aggressively eating the food off his plate.

 _Fucking Deku. Grow a pair._ Katsuki snarled in his head. The guys bantered, laughed and chatted about studies. Eventually they joined the study group too. Katsuki wasn't surprised to see Taser-face next to Ear-Jack and Weird-hair next to Raccoon-eyes. Tape-boy joined up with Birdman and Frogger, and so everyone had their own happy little time.

All afternoon Katsuki found himself lingering in the common room. Deku and Round-face were dopey as ever. Katsuki kept a close eye on everyone in the class: he knew perfectly well that the other students had a pool on which of them would ask who. There was another pool for how it happened, and yet another for how long it would take. Taser-face led almost every pool, and the class had a lot (though Tape-boy was leading the ones on Taser-face and Ear-Jack).

Deku wasn't as annoying as he used to be. He was a worthy rival nowadays. Katsuki knew that. Sometimes he was still pissed, but he was getting over that too. Even if all that were true, watching him play house with Round-face was driving Katsuki nuts.

Finally, something snapped. The two of them blushed over their hands lightly brushing against one another, and Katsuki finally lost control. He stomped down the stairs and grabbed them both, throwing them over his shoulders and stomping back up the steps towards Deku-s dorm room. Kicking and screaming every step of the way made it a little difficult, but it was nothing too hard. Round-face was tiny and Deku was a lightweight. With a kick, Deku's door opened. In went Round-face.

""Just figure it the fuck out!" Katsuki snarled, shoving Deku off his shoulder and pulling the door shut. He knocked on one of the doors down the hall and snarled at how long he had to wait before the midget opened up. Without any warning at all, Katsuki grabbed him and dragged him out.

"B-b-b-Bakugo…?! Let me go, I don't want to die!" Katsuki stopped in front of Deku's door and jabbed a thumb at it.

"Seal it shut." Mineta stared at him with wide eyes.

"Wha…?"

"Seal the DAMN DOOR!" Mineta squeaked and pressed a few of his orbs against the door and the frame, gumming it up until the whole thing was covered in a trembling purple cement. Katsuki nodded. "That was it. Fuck off."

Mineta took off like a rocket toward the common room. Katsuki figured he'd have an audience soon enough, but the moment of silence was enough to calm him down. He slowly took a seat against the opposite wall, staring at the door. At least he was making progress. The knot in his gut slowly began to unwind.

Kirishima's eyes widened as Mineta flew onto their table, dressed in only his boxers and nearly sobbing.

"What the…? Mineta go away!"

"Dude, put some damn pants on!" Sero moved quickly enough that once Kirishima had recovered from the shock, Mineta was already cocooned in tape and tossed onto the couches.

"Save me! I don't wanna die…!" Sero and Ashido groaned and pressed themselves down into their chairs. Kirishima laughed nervously, eyeing the hate filled glares thrown in the direction of the couch.

"Dude, what happened?" Kirishima stood and glanced over the couch.

"Bakugo! He's gonna kill me!"

"Why?" Kirishima frowned. Mineta wasn't on any of the guy's radar enough for any of them to care if he was even alive. Bakugo wanted to kill him?

"I don't know!" Mineta sobbed, somehow leaping onto his feet despite being wrapped in the tape from head to toe. "I was in my room studying when Bakugo yanked me down the hall and ordered me to seal Midoriya's room shut with my balls!"

"He WHAT?" Ashido hoisted Mineta's cocoon into the air and shook him. "WHY?"

"I DON'T KNOW! I RAN! I THOUGHT HE WAS TRYING TO KILL ME!" Mineta was actually sobbing now. Kirishima glanced at the stairs. Suddenly Ashido was behind him, pushing.

"Kirishima! Get up there and find out what's going on!"

"What? Why me?"

"Because he's your friend and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!"

Kirishima groaned to himself as he climbed the stairs. Part of him was tired of being the class' ambassador to Bakugo. Bakugo was just another guy. Abrasive? Yes. Crude, over-the-top and self-centered were also justified (sociopathic was going too far… right?) but there was so much more to Bakugo than the others would speak of. Knife-like intellect that equaled the brightest minds in the class, instinct that went beyond what any of them (barring possibly Midoriya and Ashido), and even an odd lucidity that went unnoticed most of the time. Bakugo was a hell of a man. So why was Kirishima the only one of them who could talk to him properly?

The scene in question was a little odd: Bakugo sat against the wall, staring at the door sealed shut by Mineta's balls and calmly waiting. Kirishima hesitated, then took a seat by Bakugo.

"What's up?"

"Waiting." Bakugo grunted.

"For Midoriya? Are you guys training?" Bakugo snorted.

"Fuck no. I got tired of watching him and Round-face flirt, so I tossed 'em in there to sort it out."

Kirishima's eyes widened. Suddenly the door in front of him was a lot more interesting.

"How long…"

"Twenty minutes."

"…Heard anything?"

"Fucking Deku knocked ten minutes ago and told me to let him out."

"How long are you gonna leave them in there?" Kirishima grinned as he elbowed Bakugo a little. Bakugo grinned.

"They aren't coming out till I'm convinced."

Kirishima chuckled, then began to laugh out loud. His sides began to hurt long before he was done.

Mina and Sero were playing catch with Mineta's cocoon when she finally snapped.

"ARRRGH!" Mineta yelped as he was thrown straight down onto the couch. "I'm going up after him!"

"I'll come!" Sero grabbed Mineta and tucked the boy under his arm, then loped after Mina as she headed for the stairs. Kirishima was grinning like a maniac when they arrived, while Bakugo was sitting next to him with a peaceful frown. Mina was quietly glad he wasn't smiling. Bakugo was creepy when he smiled. She paused, glancing between the two of them and the door. When she shrugged her shoulders at Kirishima instead of asking, Kirishima patted the ground beside him.

"Want to watch?" The shark toothed grin he showed off spoke volumes. Mineta was squirming and grunting under Sero's arm, but after a shrug of agreement both Sero and Mina took a seat. All five of them stared at the door, then three turned to look at Kirishima and Bakugo.

"Sooo…" Kirishima chuckled.

"Guess who's in there?" Mina's eyebrows shot up.

"Um… Midoriya?"

"And?" Kirishima wagged his eyebrows. Mina glanced at the door wide eyed, suddenly much more interested in what was behind it.

"Midoriya is in his bedroom _with someone_?" Mina squealed. It was her dream come true. She gasped and spun to Kirishima. "Is it Todoroki?"

Kirishima gaped at her.

"What? No! It's Uraraka! Uraraka is in there with him! Bakugo threw them in there and shut the door!"

"Oooooooohhhh…" Mina grinned and looked at the door. "Go get him girl.

A thought occurred to her, and she whipped out her phone.

Denki took a breath as he finished writing the last few lines of notes. Pulling out his phone, he opened it and read over the message. Then re-read and re-re-read the message, his eyes growing wide. Leaping up and pocketing the phone, he stared at the others in the room with a broad grin on his face.

"Let's take a study break!" Jirou and Yaoyorozu both huffed and rolled their eyes. Tooru seemed to consider it. Ojiro raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on? You look pretty excited for just a study break."

"We need to get Tsuyu and head over to Midoriya's room." The others shared a collective look. After a minute or so of staring he broke down. "Apparently Bakugo shut Uraraka and Midoriya in Midoriya's room to get them to confess to each other!"

A flurry of movement broke out, with a few shouts of disbelief here and there, but a few minutes later Denki and Tooru were leading the charge to the boys' side of the dorm. Most of the class had gathered, including Todoroki, Shouji, Aoyama, Kouda, and Satou. Iida was shouting at the door and apparently getting responses, though nothing would open the door. Everyone else mulled about, grinning to each other and glancing at the door in question. Denki grinned as he pushed through to where Ashido, Bakugo and Kirishima sat.

"Is it true?" Ashido was in the middle of a laugh attack. Kirishima seemed to be wiping his eyes, and Bakugo was frowning but he looked peaceful enough. Denki chuckled and turned to the door, and to Iida.

"I can't get the door open you two! Mineta sealed it shut! You'll have to wait!"

"Iida, we can't just _wait_!" Uraraka cried from behind the door.

"I didn't seal it shut, I swear!" Denki busted out laughing as Mineta hopped past him, wrapped in a cocoon of tape and crying blood. "I would never seal another one of you guys in a room with a girl first!"

Denki lost it.

 _This has to be one of the best days of my life…_ He thought as he began to cry from laughter.

Izuku wasn't sure what was worse. The fact that he was trapped in his bedroom with a _girl_ , or that everyone outside was laughing at them. It had been an hour since they'd been tossed into the room by an irate Kacchan. Uraraka had recovered for a little bit and gotten mad at Kacchan for what he did, but the voices outside the door had slowly left her sitting on his bed in a tangible aura of depression. Izuku could only sigh and think of what they were supposed to do. Leaving via the balcony was possible for the two of them, but leaving the dorm was against the rules for rest days. Even if they left that way Izuku would be trapped _outside_ his room for the rest of the day.

After a while, Iida gave up and the noise outside was simple laughter and merrymaking. Izuku frowned at the door from his desk chair and sighed.

 _What am I going to do? I'm trapped with Uraraka. We can't get out, but she could go… I don't want her to think I want her out, but I bet she hates me for getting her wrapped up in this..._ He glanced over at the bed. It was now completely blue from the haze covering Uraraka, which shocked him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he gripped the arms of his chair and dug through his soul for any confidence he could find. _I need to do_ something _! She's my friend… my best friend! Even if she hates me I should be there for her!_

"Um… Uraraka?" A pair of eyes poked out over her arm. She'd been facing her knees for the past half hour or more (Izuku forgot just how long it took Ashido to finally arrive outside his door), and the sudden motion caused two points of bright red to emerge from the haze. "I…I'm s-s-s-sorry. For getting you c-c-c-caught up in this… I-I-I d-d-d-don't know what they're thinking."

Uraraka turned to her knees once more. Izuku cursed himself and his weak nerves. He gripped his wrists to try and stop the quivering.

"You could go, you know… You don't have to deal with this." The haze dissipated as Uraraka poked her head out. Instead of a glare, he faced confusion. "Um… It's only the second floor you know? With your quirk you could float down, or I could take you down slowly and hop back up. I know you probably hate me for getting you involved in this after all."

"Deku… I…" Uraraka seemed a little choked up. Izuku knew she would probably go herself. Why would she want to deal with him after this? Silence drew out between them, slowly killing Izuku like a parasite eating his heart. "What about you…?"

"I… I'd still be locked out after all. Plus, why would you want to hang out with me after something like this?" Izuku sat down in his chair with a sigh. He could still hear everyone on the other side of the door. "I don't blame you if you hate me."

Uraraka moved quickly, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him to the patio door and throwing it open. She kept her head down, but she kept his sleeve firmly in her grasp.

"Come with me." Izuku swallowed as she said it. His eyes widened, then he dug out his courage again and bent to scoop her up in his arms. "D-d-d-d-deku…?!"

"Use your quirk on me. I'll carry you down." She stared at him, red faced, for a moment. Then she quietly accepted and pressed her hand against his shoulder. Her arms slid around his neck easily, and he leapt off the balcony without a second thought.

Landing was easy. Izuku felt as light as a feather, and Uraraka weighed less than nothing in his grip. Still, she was very, _very_ solid in his arms. He let her arms down, but she stayed close as he stood up.

"I… I don't wanna go up there and face everyone again…" She whispered. Izuku nodded, hugging her.

"Can I do anything?" He asked. A moment passed.

"…Take me somewhere?" Uraraka squeaked. Izuku thought for a moment, then peered up at the dorm. He grabbed Uraraka again, carrying her in his arms and walking them to the front, through the doors and straight into the courtyard. With One for All, he leapt onto the windows on the second floor, catching the attention of everyone (he made sure to lock eyes with Kacchan) as he pushed off. They settled on the rooftop of the boy's side, looking out over the campus and basking in the spring sunshine. Izuku grinned as Uraraka glanced around and drank in the sights.

"…I started training this way a little while ago. It's a loophole, but… the view is so nice I can't keep myself from coming back…!" Izuku laughed quietly to himself. Once she was done looking around, Uraraka stared straight at her feet, reminding him of why they'd come up to the roof in the first place. He wasn't sure what to do anymore.

"Uraraka… I'm sorry. For everything. But I… I don't want us to not be friends anymore… I couldn't stand it if you were avoiding me, or if you hated me. I'd hurl myself off this roof before I had to face something like that. You're the best friend I've ever had. And… you're amazing… You always surprise me with how incredible you are." The words came from the ache in his chest, completely missing his brain. They were both hearing it for the first time. Even if he'd wanted to Izuku couldn't stop the words from spilling out. "So… I… If nothing else… Just please don't… don't hate me for today. I'll make it up to you, I swear… I'll be the kind of person you can look in the eye again, if you let me. Stay with me… I'm begging you…"

Clenching his eyes shut against the tears was hard. Izuku's throat burned and his chest felt like it was going to implode. Nightmares he'd had as a child played on the back of his eyelids like horror films: every time he'd thought that people didn't want him, that he was bad luck, that maybe people would be better off without him.

A hand touched his chest, then slowly gripped his shirt.

"…Deku… I could never hate you…!" Izuku opened his eyes as Uraraka pressed herself against his chest. She trembled, gripping his shirt like a lifeline. A few tears rolled down his cheeks and into her hair. He set his hands on her shoulders, holding her the only way he knew how. "I'm sorry… I… I don't know how to deal with all this! I'm sorry! I was embarrassed because I've been trying to figure it out, and everyone keeps saying…"

Izuku felt a wet spot growing on his shirt and cursed himself again. Without thinking he wrapped her in a real hug. He pulled her against his chest and pulled her closer still. He buried his face in her hair. A shaky breath escaped her lips, but she didn't push him away. She relaxed against him, settling in his embrace.

"Deku… your heart if going kinda fast huh…" Uraraka whispered. Izuku chuckled.

"I can't help it… I've never hugged a girl before…" He sighed. "You're always the first girl I do anything with…"

Uraraka got quiet, and her hands tightened on his shirt. Now her heart was beating quickly, and Izuku couldn't help blushing again. He didn't _want_ to let go, though. It was nice hugging her.

"Umm… Deku…? What you said before… Was all that really true…?"

"…I…Yes…" Izuku shut his eyes tight. Uraraka released one hand from his shirt, and gently tapped her fist against his chest.

"Don't you ever think about throwing yourself off the roof, dummy."

"…O-o-o-only if you're there… to catch me." Izuku muttered in her ear. "You've always caught me when I was falling."

Eventually they did have to go back down. They were mobbed when they made it back inside, but for the most part they brushed it off.

Nothing happened.

No one confessed.

They were just friends… Right?

Izuku walked her to her room and apologized for the commotion again. He was surprised when she hugged him, but he held her and burned the feel into his brain.

Kacchan was still waiting outside his door. The balls had disappeared, which Izuku was glad to see. Yet, when he met Kacchan's eyes he stopped. All throughout the year, they'd shared some kind of glare when they looked at one another. Now it was softer on both sides. Respect had bloomed on Kacchan's side, somewhere along the line. Izuku could feel all the emotions he'd felt along the way change. Part of him wondered if this was what it felt like to have a brother. Hope that it was the same feeling.

"Did you get it sorted out?" The question startled Izuku. A shaky smile broke out.

"I don't know. But… I think we took a step forward."

Kacchan snorted at him, then turned and headed for his room.

"I'm getting tired of pushing you along you know." Izuku watched him go with a smile.

"Don't worry!" Kacchan turned back for a moment at his call. Izuku smiled and showed him a thumbs-up. "I'll push you along when you need a hand!"

"Fuck off, nerd. No one pushes me anywhere." Izuku laughed as his rival took the stairs. When he headed into his room, he looked around felt a breeze kick up in his soul. Tomorrow was suddenly an anomaly, and it had a familiar face. A face he was very much looking forward to seeing again.


End file.
